Dog speaks Z-Wave

The Dog gateway starts speaking wireless! In addition to the classical KNX and OpenWebNet (bTicino) wired domotic protocols, a new Z-Wave driver has been developed and integrated in the new Dog2.0 architecture.

Integrating a wireless protocol was more than 'just' adding a new way to handle and encapsulate messages, because in the wireless worlds devices may appear or disappear at any time, therefore the House Model of Dog has been enriched by new dynamic device creation capabilities. Furthermore, energy-saving battery-operated devices have only short time-windows in which they are awake, and Dog must concentrate all comunications in such intervals.

Z-Wave is a protocol developed by Sigma Designs, Inc. and supported by the Z-Wave Alliance, and supports hundreds of devices by different manufacturers. The e-lite group now has a new demo-box filled with Z-Wave wireless plugs, meters, sensors and buttons.

The Z-Wave Driver will be included in the next Dog public release, and it was presented bySimone Peccheninoas his Master Thesis, on November 9, 2010, with the supervision of Emiliano Castellina and Dario Bonino.